Effects of Thinning Blossom and Fruitlets on Growth and Cropping of Sunset Apple

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Abstract
Summary The results of a fruit-thinning trial, by hand, on the apple variety Sunset on M.IX are reported. Thinning flowers at the pink bud stage, and fruitlets at one, two and three weeks after full bloom, increased fruit size and trunk-girth increment. The two earliest treatments increased the number of shoots but mean shoot length was unaffected by any of the treatments. The increase in fruit size was due to an increase in cell number per fruit rather than to an increase in cell volume. The concept of competition between meristematic regions of the aerial parts of the tree is discussed. No residual effect of thinning on yield, fruit size or shoot growth occurred in the season following the three-year experimental period, when the trees were left untreated.

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